Assault-weapon ban may go to Westford voters

WESTFORD -- Four days after a shooter killed 20 children and six adults at a Connecticut elementary school, Westford Selectman Robert Jefferies decided it was time to act.

Jefferies asked his fellow selectmen in December to support a bylaw banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines within town lines. The board adopted Jefferies' proposal as one of its goals for the new year and, last week, it was placed on the warrant for the March 23 Town Meeting.

If the proposal remains on the warrant and is approved by voters, it could make Westford the first community in the state to institute a local assault-weapons ban.

"The push has to come from the bottom. I don't think it's going to come from the top," Jefferies said. He said it is important for the town to have a discussion about weapons in the community.

That discussion has begun. Several residents last week spoke before selectmen urging the board to take more time for debate on the measure.

Once the bylaw is passed, the state Attorney General's Office must review it to ensure it complies with state laws and the federal Constitution. No other community in Massachusetts has submitted a similar bylaw for an assault-weapons ban, nor have any similar bylaws been submitted for review recently, according to the Attorney General's Office.

Police Chief Thomas McEnaney said he was not aware of other towns that have adopted such a ban.

Advertisement

Massachusetts has among the strictest gun laws in the country and one of the lowest rates of gun deaths, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a group that promotes strict gun policies.

It is one of six states with bans on large-capacity magazines.

State law allows rifles to hold 10 rounds of ammunition and shotguns to hold five rounds. The exception is that .22-caliber weapons can hold up to 10 or 12 rounds, McEnaney said.

In response to the town's proposed bylaw, the Westford Sportsmen's Club, which has more than 700 members, released a statement:

"Massachusetts firearms laws are already among the most restrictive and complex in the nation. Westford Sportsmen's Club supports the Second Amendment rights of all citizens and opposes any local legislation that duplicates or is more severe than existing state law."

Jefferies said if the bylaw is passed by the town and upheld by the state, he would like signs on every entry road into town publicizing the ban.

Selectman Valerie Wormell questioned Town Hall's effort to put together a bylaw amendment, saying the town should explore first whether it has the ability to institute such a ban.

"Honestly, I think this is a colossal waste of time. I think it might be a political show," she said.

The proposed bylaw may not make it to Town Meeting floor, however.

Jefferies did not attend the meeting where selectmen closed the Town Meeting warrant.

The three selectmen present -- Chairman Kelly Ross, Jim Sullivan and Andrea Peraner-Sweet -- said they were inclined to leave the proposed bylaw on the warrant and decide sometime before Town Meeting if the entire board is prepared to go through with the warrant article.

"This has been one of the most interesting and difficult articles for me to have to make a decision on ... this one has people who I know really well feel very strongly about this and from both sides of the issue. They all make interesting and good points," said Ross.

"Even if the town does not do anything, I do believe that having a discussion about gun control should be had in our community," said Peraner-Sweet.

Sullivan said he felt as though the process was rushed and that only one side of the argument was heard.

Numerous residents requested the Board of Selectmen to take the article off the Town Meeting warrant.

Al Prescott, who said he was a state police-certified firearms safety instructor, said the board had put the proposal together hastily.

"You've made me a criminal overnight and please don't do that. I don't want to be made a criminal," he said, if the bylaw where to go into effect.

A Facebook group for those opposing the proposed gun ban was formed, but it has subsequently been taken down. The posting said it was taken down in an effort to have one united voice opposing the gun ban.

"Rest assured there are many Patriots among us," the final posting read.

The proposed bylaw states that the high firepower and military features of assault weapons are preferred by criminals and place law-enforcement officers at risk.

Among the highlights of the proposed bylaw:

* Gun owners would have 90 days to remove a banned assault weapon from town or surrender it to the police chief;

* Violators may be penalized by indictment or complaint in district court;

* Violators would face a fine of $100 for first offense, $200 for second, and $300 for third.

In an opinion from the town's legal counsel, Gregg Corbo, of Kopelman and Paige, the town's pursuit of a proposed ban appears in the clear. He said nothing in the statute states a legislative intent to preclude local action on gun control.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sun. So keep it civil.